You're spotting the trends. Identifying the patterns. Building the case. And then... nothing happens.

Hey there, welcome back to What The Data Said.

Here's the problem with trendspotting that nobody talks about: the insights are useless if you can't get anyone to act on them.

You see a trend blowing up. You know your brand should jump on it. You send a Slack message to the creative team. By the time legal approves it, the moment is dead. Sound familiar?

I've been there & one of my biggest challenges wasn't finding the insights – it was packaging them in a way that made people care enough to move fast.

Because here's the thing: trendspotting isn't just about monitoring what's hot. It's about turning those observations into influencer campaigns, evergreen content, creative briefs, and real-time activations that actually move the needle.

And the best way I've found to do that? Build a newsroom.

a repeatable system for surfacing insights, getting buy-in from executives, and activating before the trend dies.

Today, I'm breaking down exactly how to build your own newsroom – what goes in it, how to structure it, and the templates you can steal to get started this week.

Let's get into it.

Let me paint you a picture: You're scrolling TikTok on a Tuesday morning. You see a sound starting to blow up. It's perfect for your brand. You screenshot it. You send it to your creative team. You suggest they make something.

And then it sits.

Creative needs a brief. Strategy needs context. Legal needs to review it. By Thursday, the sound has 10M uses and you've missed the window.

This is the insight-to-action gap. And it kills more good ideas than bad strategy ever will.

Trendspotting finds the patterns. But here's what most people struggle with:

What It Actually Does For Your Team

1. Gets you closer to your audience than anyone else Your newsroom surfaces who your audience actually is – what they care about, how they talk, which creators they're obsessed with, what they're complaining about in comment sections at 2am.

2. Makes your brand culturally relevant Your newsroom tracks what's happening in culture right now and spots where your brand can authentically jump in. You're not chasing every trend like a desperate brand account – you're being selective about the moments that actually matter to your people.

3. Creates earned opportunities Your newsroom helps your creative team spot moments where a small, smart move can turn into massive earned media.

Look, in my previous roles, building a newsroom was honestly one of the only ways I could get buy-in to move fast on trends. Here's why it worked:

✅ Packages insights so people actually consume them – No more "omg check out this TikTok" Slacks that die alone in a thread nobody reads

✅ Creates a rhythm your team can plan around – Weekly or monthly, your team knows it's coming and actually blocks time for it

✅ Shows you're not just scrolling – You're curating, adding context, and making actual recommendations

✅ Gets stakeholders invested – When your CMO sees the same trend pop up in your newsroom three weeks in a row, they stop scrolling past it and start asking "wait, should we actually do something with this?"

Not all trends are created equal. And understanding which type you're dealing with determines how fast you need to move.

What it is: A sound, meme format, or viral moment that's blowing up right now

Timeline: You have hours to 48 hours to jump on it before it's oversaturated

Examples:

What it is: A conversation, aesthetic, or behavior that's gaining momentum but hasn't peaked yet

Timeline: You have 1-3 weeks to develop a POV and activate before everyone else does

Examples:

What it is: A broad, industry-wide shift in behavior, values, or cultural conversation

Timeline: You have months to a year to build a strategy and campaign around it

Examples:

Here's the thing – there's no "right way" to build a newsroom, and honestly, you don't even have to call it that. I've called mine "Hot Off the Feed" at one place and "Cultural Rundown" at another. What matters is that your team actually opens it and uses it.

What goes into your newsroom is totally up to you, but before you start throwing sections in there, think about why you're doing this and what information your team actually needs to take action. Are you trying to get creative buy-in? Convince your CMO to move faster? Let that guide what you include.

Here are the sections I like to include in mine. You don't need all of them – and you definitely shouldn't feel like you have to use all of them just because I do. Pick what actually works for your team and what you can realistically keep up with. A consistent newsroom with three strong sections beats an ambitious one with eight sections that you burn out on after two weeks.

Let's break down what each one is.

This is your "here's what you need to know this week" section. Platform updates, algorithm changes, viral moments, brand wins or fails, quick stats.

Think of it as the news brief that gets everyone operating with the same baseline information. Your creative team learns Instagram changed how Reels work. Your strategist gets context on why a competitor's post tanked. Your exec understands why the TikTok budget ask just increased.

Examples:

"TikTok rolled out 30-minute video uploads this week – clear push toward competing with YouTube for long-form content."

"ICYMI: Duolingo's unhinged Super Bowl comment got 2M impressions without running an ad. Proof that comment section strategy actually works.

This is where you spotlight specific audience segments that are growing and worth paying attention to. Not demographics – actual communities with shared values, language, and content preferences.

Could be broad like "Millennial Moms" or super niche like "Finance Bros on FinTwit." The key is specificity. When you can describe their worldview, language, and what content resonates with them, your creative brief basically writes itself.

Example:

Fitness Moms Over 40 – Women 40+ redefining fitness and aging, focused on strength over aesthetics, rejecting diet culture. 15M+ combined following across top creators, 200% growth in "fitness over 40" searches. They engage heavily with content showing strength gains (not weight loss), "things I wish I knew in my 20s" formats, and perimenopause-specific training. They're tired of "anti-aging" messaging and respond to authenticity over polish.

Your early warning system for talent. You're catching creators who are growing fast and align with your brand before they're overpriced or already working with competitors.

The key here is growth trajectory. Someone at 250K who was at 80K three months ago is way more interesting than someone at 500K who's been flat for a year.

Example:

@username (TikTok) – 250K followers, up from 80K three months ago. Millennial parenting humor with a self-deprecating edge. Her "mom brain" series is blowing up because it's messy and real – not the polished momfluencer aesthetic.

This tells your creative team what to make, not just what to say. The difference between "make something about our product" and "make a Get Ready With Me video where our product is integrated."

I like to include both what formats are working and which ones are already oversaturated. Sometimes knowing what not to chase is more valuable.

Examples:

The big conversations happening in culture, media, or your industry. This is where you help your team decide where to have a point of view – and where to stay quiet.

This section is gold for executives. When your CMO asks "why are we suddenly seeing all this content about X?" you point back to your newsroom from two months ago where you flagged it.

Examples:

Brands are going all-in on LinkedIn content (and it's working) – 40% increase in brand posts on LinkedIn year-over-year. B2C brands like Duolingo and Mailchimp seeing unexpected engagement. Thought leadership outperforming product posts 3:1. We should pilot a LinkedIn series with our CEO – less corporate, more personality.

Men's self-care is becoming mainstream – Men's skincare market up 30% YoY, "skincare for men" searches up 156%. Younger men (18-34) are driving growth, not 40+ like we assumed. If we're in wellness/beauty, we're potentially missing half the market. Should explore gender-neutral branding or male-focused product line.

Your advance planning section. Upcoming holidays, events, and cultural moments your team should be ready for.

This gives creative time to develop concepts instead of scrambling. It helps media plan budgets. It shows when conversation volume will spike. And it prevents the "oh shit, that's next week?" panic.

Look 2-3 months ahead. If you're planning for something next week, you're already late.

Examples:

US Open (Late August) – High-income audience, fashion + sports crossover, 60% female viewership. Conversation starts 2 weeks before. Peak engagement during finals. Real-time reactions outperformed pre-planned content 3x last year.

New Year's Resolutions (January) – Conversation peaks Dec 26-Jan 15, not just Jan 1. Anti-resolution content is trending – people want realistic goals, not dramatic transformations. "Small habits > big goals" messaging resonates 2x more. I

Here's the thing: your newsroom doesn't have one "right" format. I've done it both ways depending on the team and what they actually respond to.

I like to approach this as a presentation, especially when I need executive buy-in. it feels like a strategic conversation instead of just "here's some stuff I saw on TikTok."

But presentations aren't always the move. For smaller teams or fast-moving environments, a weekly email works better. Every Monday morning, quick and scannable, 3-4 sections max. Takes them 5-7 minutes to read.

They get their coffee, read your newsroom, and they're informed for the week.

Whatever format you pick, just start. Don't wait until you have the perfect template or the perfect sections or the perfect anything. Pick 3 sections, send it out, see what lands. You can always adjust.

Download my templates here – I've got the weekly email version right here and the monthly presentation version right here. Steal whichever format works for your team (or both, I'm not your boss).

That's what the data said this week.

Until then, build your newsroom. And when you send it out? Tag me on LinkedIn. I want to see how your team reacts.

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